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'And I am to this day scared that the reason I didn't trust her the way I trust some of the other directors I work with is because she's a woman.

'It's so hard to admit and I hope people understand that.'

The director: Lone Scherfig is one of the few female directors working in film but Anne admitted that she 'didn't trust her the way I trust some of the other directors I work with'

'I'm so scared that I didn't give her everything that she needed.'

Anne continued: 'When I get a script, when I see a first film directed by a woman, I have in the past focused on what's wrong with it. And when I see a film... directed by a man, I focus on what's right with it.'

The actress, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Fantine in Les Miserables, said she wanted to change her attitude towards female directors.

Starring role: Anne starred as Emma in One Day, which charts the story two friends who fall in love with each other at a snail's pace over 20 years

British accent: While the film was modestly successful, Anne's Yorkshire accent was widely panned with critics saying she sounded like she was from New York at some points

'I can only acknowledge that I've done that and I don't want to do that anymore. I, before I realised this, had actively tried to work with female directors.

'And I still had this mindset buried in there somewhere.'

Anne did say she understands how difficult it is for women to make films in the notoriously male-dominated Hollywood.

'That journey is way harder than it should be,' the mother-of-one said.

'It's not equal,' she added. 'And I wonder if it's about that thought process like the one I just talked about. About undervaluing what it takes to make your first film.'

Oscar winner: Anne went on to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Fantine in Les Miserables in 2013

Just seven per cent of all directors working on the top 250 domestic grossing films in 2016 were women, according to San Diego State's Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film.

The number of female directors working has actually declined as in 2015 nine per cent of directors working on big film projects were women.

Anne added that she had 'never apologised' to Lone, who directed the film which was based on the wildly popular novel by David Nicholls.

Anne starred as Emma in the film who enjoys a one-night stand with Dexter at graduation and maintains a flirtatious friendship with him for 20 years. Viewers are left wondering whether the friends will ever become a couple.

Anne said she would call Lone after the interview.

'I hold her in such a dear place in my heart and I think she does for me, too.'

A representative for Scherfig said : 'She asked me to express her love and admiration for Anne and her work.'

Speaking out: Anne opened up about her 'internalised misogyny' in an interview on ABC news